Minestra di farro e lenticchie

Hearty minestrone soup for the chilly automn weather, this recipe was given to me from a friend and she in turn got it from a friend from Bolsena Italy and it is typical for Alta Tuscia.

Arroz caldo, filipino comfort food

This must be one of the Filipinos top comfort foods and to me a cherished childhood dish. Arroz caldo I belive to be the Filipino equivalent to chicken noodle soup, when ever I was feeling a bit under the weather my dad would make this for me.

Arroz caldo is a spanish interpretation of the chinese congee, a rice porridge made with broth. Directly translated arroz caldo means rice broth.

My father used to make this with homemade chicken stock and a lot of ginger.

For 4 servings you need

1/2 onion, finely chopped
5 cm long fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1.5 L chicken stock
2.5 dl paella rice
Cooked meat of one chicken.
1 spring onion
crispy crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
A little chili if you want an extra kick.

Saute the onion until it becomes shiny with a little olive oil in a pan, add garlic and grated ginger and fry a bit more, then add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
I used an immersion blender to crush everything to smooth soup, but you do not have to if you don’t want to.

Next step is to add the rice and bring boil, when boiling lover the heat to medium to low and let the porridge simmer untill the rice is cooked. At the end add the cooked chicken and let it simmer some more until the chicken meat is warmed through.

Serve the in bowls and garnish with chopped spring onions, crispy garlic bits and chili.

My dad used to put in a few strands of saffron, but since I did not have any this time I just skipped it.

Kimchi jjiggae, Kimchi stew, 김치찌개

 

Kimchi jjiggae  is one of the most popular all the stews in Korean cuisine and is made from mature kimchi, tofu, and meat or seafood. It is a warm, hearty, spicy and savory dish. When ever we were out eating korean bbq we often got a bowl of this stew and a bowl of rice at the end of the meal.

There are many variations of this dish as each household uses their own favorite ingredients.

This is my version and I used what I had available.
It is not always easy to make Korean food in Norway although many immigrant stores are pretty well stocked with exotic food, but Korean products are sadly scares.
I was out of gochujang, so I have replaced it with something called kimchi base that I have found in one of the local immigrant shops.

400 g thinly cut rib eye or the type of meat you want to use
1 tablespoon sesame oil
5 dl kimchi
0.5 dl kimchi brine
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbsp gochujang/kimchi base
1-2 tsp gochugaru or cayenne pepper
7.5 dl water
1/2 package tofu
2 sliced scallions

In a heavy bottomed saute the beef, garlic and the onions, when the onions are glossy add kimchi and keep sauteing until the mixture is very fragrant.

Add the kimchi juice, water, chili paste, chili flakes and drizzle sesame oil, stir everything together to combine.

Bring to a boil and taste for spiciness, adjust with gochugaru to increase the heat to where you want it. Add the tofu, turn down the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the beef and kimchi are tender.

When you’re ready to serve the kimchi jjiggae, add the green onions. Put the pot on the tablet and serve it with rice.